Here Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec portrays the actress and singer Yvette Guilbert in her trademark costume—black gloves and a simple satin dress with a deep neckline. Lautrec frequented cabarets and indoor cafés in the Parisian Montmartre neighborhood and befriended many of the performers, of whom Guilbert was perhaps the most famous.

The drawing was done in preparation for Toulouse-Lautrec’s album of lithographs Yvette Guilbert. The series increased Guilbert’s recognition and renown considerably, but she did not appreciate the artist’s characterization of her irregular features. Her posture and expression here seem to be more a caricature than an homage.

Toulouse-Lautrec was spellbound by the cabarets and indoor cafés of the Parisian Montmartre neighborhood. He became personal friends with many of the female performers and had a lasting effect upon their celebrity through the advertisements and print series he created to honor them. Perhaps the most famous of all the performers was Yvette Guilbert. In this watercolor study for the series of lithographs, Album Yvette Guilbert, he depicted her in her trademark costume: black gloves and a simple satin dress with a deep v-neck in front and back. Although Guilbert did not appreciate Toulouse-Lautrec’s characterization of her irregular features, the album of lithographs nonetheless increased her recognition and renown considerably.